Kyiv theater stages modern Odyssey reflecting Ukraine's wartime trauma
A new production at Kyiv’s Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater retells Homer’s Odyssey using the experience of Ukraine’s war, featuring both professional actors and active soldiers.
In Kyiv’s Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater, “Odysseus, Maeotis” reimagines Homer’s epic through the lens of Ukraine’s ongoing conflict. The production features a mix of seasoned actors and serving soldiers, including Daniil Mireshkin, who portrays the wandering king and highlights the difficulty of reintegrating after combat. The stage design is minimalist yet unsettling, using neon bars and projections of drones and robotic war devices to stand in for the Cyclops and sirens.
Director Ivan Uryvskyi explains that the script was built from scratch, preserving only the central theme of a hero’s homeward journey. The title references the ancient name for the Sea of Azov, near Mariupol, a city devastated after a 2022 siege, and the story incorporates testimonies from Azov brigade defenders. Playwright Oleksii Dorychevskyi based the narrative on a year of interviews with former prisoners of war, while actress Daryna Leheida draws parallels between Penelope’s waiting and the plight of Ukrainian women awaiting the return of loved ones.
Why it matters
The production shows how art can process collective trauma and keep public attention on Ukraine’s war.
In this story
